Motor-driven chain saws driven by an internal combustion engine are operated in dirt-laden areas. For this reason, appropriate air filters must be provided. On the one hand, it is desired that the combustion air supplied to the engine be as free of dirt as possible while, on the other hand, the requirement is imposed that there be as few interruptions in work as possible because of needed filter changes or filter cleaning steps. The number of needed filter maintenance steps can be reduced by utilizing suitable air-filter elements; however, filter maintenance steps must nonetheless be carried out at regular intervals in order to guarantee a trouble-free operation of the engine.
In known motor-driven chain saws, a cover must be removed for cleaning the air filter and the filter housing. This cover is mostly secured with the aid of screws. Tools are most often required to loosen these screws. The cover has, in most cases, the size of the filter element so that, after removal of the cover, the filter element is indeed accessible but because the access opening is too small, further cleaning operations on the filter housing are very difficult and therefore very time consuming.